Resilience of Infrastructure Damage Prevention: Vital Role of One Call Centers in the United States

Abstract

The management of subsurface utilities contributes significantly to the resilience of modern cities. Damage to subsurface utilities greatly impacts daily life and has severe consequences, including property damage, scheduling delays, and fatal and nonfatal injuries. One call centers are the cornerstone for preventing subsurface utility damage in the United States. Construction contractors and subcontractors rely on one call centers to notify utility owners about their excavation plans. The shared responsibility approach, which calls for teamwork between excavators and utility owners, is a crucial element of the one call system. This study aims to benchmark one call centers’ current practices to improve the overall communication among stakeholders and enhance damage prevention efforts. The provided benchmarking suggests the dire need for better strategies to collect and analyze the data from damage events. In addition, the practical outcomes of the North Carolina Locate Resolution Partnership Committee (NC Resolution Committee) were assessed. The assessment suggests that using data from one call centers could lead to a resilient damage prevention process. Thus, this study delivers a better understanding of the current practices of one call centers and a new approach to improving damage prevention efforts beyond the traditional role of one call centers.